Media player playlist management

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to techniques for enabling easy generation, editing, and access to digital content compilations, such as playlists, etc. Specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure employ one or more graphical user-interfaces that provide a playlist toolbar (e.g., a sidebar) after determining a user wishes to access a digital content compilation. Further, predictions may be made to determine potential activities associated with these compilations based upon previous actions performed by the user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/893,072, filed May 13, 2013, which claims the benefit of priority toU.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/699,788, filed Sep. 11, 2012,entitled “Integrated Content Recommendation,” and U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 61/699,758, filed Sep. 11, 2012, entitled“Automated Graphical User-Interface Layout,” all of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to a graphical user-interface,and, more particularly, to a graphical user-interface for generatingplaylists of content provided in a digital content player.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects ofart that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure,which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed tobe helpful in providing the reader with background information tofacilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statementsare to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

As the prevalence of electronic devices has increased, content, such asmovies, music, images, etc., has largely become available in a digitalformat, displayable by these electronic devices. Accordingly, digitalcontent players for electronic devices have become very prevalent.Unfortunately, as digital content offerings increase, so does thecomplexity of organizing this content in the content players.

SUMMARY

A summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein is set forth below. Itshould be understood that these aspects are presented merely to providethe reader with a brief summary of these certain embodiments and thatthese aspects are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.Indeed, this disclosure may encompass a variety of aspects that may notbe set forth below.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices and methods forgenerating content playlists via a graphical user-interface of a digitalcontent player. In some embodiments, the digital content player mayoffer enhanced playlist functionality, such as easier access,generation, and editing of the playlist. Additionally, the digitalcontent player may remember previous actions of a user of the digitalcontent player and suggest potential playlist generation activitiesbased upon those previous actions. Accordingly, users of the digitalcontent player may more easily generate, edit, and access playlistswithin the digital content player.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects of this disclosure may be better understood upon readingthe following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of components of an electronic device, inaccordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of an electronic device, inaccordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a digital content player providing a menuto add items associated with a playlist, in accordance with anembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a playlist screen for a newly createdplaylist, in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an edit menu associated with a playlist,in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a view of a playlist sidebar for adding content to a playlist,in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating an example of content added to theplaylist sidebar of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating an example of the playlist screen of FIG.4 after the playlist has been renamed and content has been added to theplaylist;

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating an “Add to” toolbar (e.g. a sidebar), inaccordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating content added to a previously createdplaylist via the “Add to” sidebar of FIG. 9, in accordance with anembodiment;

FIG. 11 is a view of the playlist sidebar of FIG. 6, provided based uponthe actions illustrated in FIG. 10, in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a view illustrating a sort menu for the playlist sidebar ofFIG. 6, in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a view of a quick menu with learned playlist actions, inaccordance with an embodiment; and

FIG. 14 is a view illustrating a toolbar menu with learned playlistactions, in accordance with an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

One or more specific embodiments will be described below. In an effortto provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all featuresof an actual implementation are described in the specification. Itshould be appreciated that in the development of any such actualimplementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerousimplementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve thedevelopers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related andbusiness-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation toanother. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a developmenteffort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be aroutine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those ofordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

The present technique allows for enhanced access, generation, andediting of playlists in a digital content player via a graphicaluser-interface of the digital content player. For example, a contentplayer, such as the iTunes® application, available from Apple Inc. ofCupertino, Calif., may perform the playlist generation functionalitiesdescribed herein. The digital content player and the functions describedherein may be implemented as machine-readable instructions stored on atangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium.

With these foregoing features in mind, a general description of suitableelectronic devices for implementing aspects of the present techniquesare described below. In FIG. 1, a block diagram depicting variouscomponents that may be present in electronic devices suitable for usewith the present techniques is provided. In FIG. 2, one example of asuitable electronic device, here provided as a desktop computer, isdepicted. This type of electronic device, and other electronic devicesproviding comparable storage and/or processing capabilities, may be usedin conjunction with the present techniques. For example, these andsimilar types of electronic devices may be used to display the playlisttoolbar (e.g., a sidebar) and/or the “Add to” toolbar, as describedherein.

An example of a suitable electronic device may include various internaland/or external components which contribute to the function of thedevice. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the components that maybe present in such an electronic device 10 and which may allow thedevice 10 to function in accordance with the techniques discussedherein. The various functional blocks shown in FIG. 1 may comprisehardware elements (including circuitry), software elements (includingcomputer code stored on a machine-readable medium) or a combination ofboth hardware and software elements. It should further be noted thatFIG. 1 is merely one example of a particular implementation and ismerely intended to illustrate the types of components that may bepresent in a device 10. For example, in the presently illustratedembodiment, these components may include a display 12, I/O ports 16,input structures 18, one or more processors 20, a memory device 22, anon-volatile storage 24, a networking device 26, and a power source 28.

With regard to each of these components, the display 12 may be used todisplay various images generated by the device 10. The display 12 may beany type of display such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, an organic lightemitting diode (OLED) display, or other suitable display. Additionally,in certain embodiments of the electronic device 10, the display 12 mayinclude a touch-sensitive element, such as a touch screen.

The I/O ports 16 may include ports configured to connect to a variety ofexternal devices, such as a power source or other electronic devices(such as handheld devices and/or computers, printers, projectors,external displays, modems, docking stations, and so forth). The I/Oports 16 may support any interface type, such as a universal serial bus(USB) port, a video port, a serial connection port, a IEEE-1394 port, anEthernet or modem port, and/or an AC/DC power connection port.

The input structures 18 may include the various devices, circuitry, andpathways by which user input or feedback is provided to the processor20. Such input structures 18 may be configured to control a function ofthe device 10 when actuated. For example, the input structures 18 mayinclude buttons, sliders, switches, control pads, keys, knobs, scrollwheels, keyboards, mice, touchpads, and so forth.

In certain embodiments, an input structure 18 and display 12 may beprovided together, such as in the case of a touchscreen where a touchsensitive mechanism is provided in conjunction with the display 12. Insuch embodiments, the user may select or interact with displayedinterface elements via the touch sensitive mechanism. In this way, thedisplayed user interface may provide interactive functionality, allowinga user to select, by touch screen or other input structure, from amongoptions displayed on the display 12.

User interaction with the input structures 18, such as to interact witha user or application interface displayed on the display 12, maygenerate electrical signals indicative of the user input. These inputsignals may be routed via suitable pathways, such as an input hub orbus, to the processor(s) 20 for further processing.

The processor(s) 20 may provide the processing capability to execute theoperating system, programs, user and application interfaces, and anyother functions of the electronic device 10. The processor(s) 20 mayinclude one or more microprocessors, such as one or more“general-purpose” microprocessors, one or more special-purposemicroprocessors and/or ASICS, or some combination of such processingcomponents. For example, the processor 20 may include one or morereduced instruction set (RISC) processors, as well as graphicsprocessors, video processors, audio processors and/or related chip sets.

The instructions or data to be processed by the processor(s) 20 may bestored in a memory 22. The memory 22 may be provided as a volatilememory, such as random access memory (RAM), and/or as a non-volatilememory, such as read-only memory (ROM). The memory 22 may store avariety of information and may be used for various purposes. Forexample, the memory 22 may store firmware for the electronic device 10(such as a basic input/output instruction or operating systeminstructions), other programs that enable various functions of theelectronic device 10, user interface functions, processor functions, andmay be used for buffering or caching during operation of the electronicdevice 10.

The components may further include a non-volatile storage 24 forpersistent storage of data and/or instructions. The non-volatile storage24 may include flash memory, a hard drive, or any other optical,magnetic, and/or solid-state storage media. The non-volatile storage 24may be used to store data files such as personal information, software(e.g., an application used to play digital content on the electronicdevice 10 or on another electronic device), wireless connectioninformation (e.g., information that may enable the electronic device 10to establish a wireless connection, such as a telephone or wirelessnetwork connection), and any other suitable data.

The components depicted in FIG. 1 also include a network device 26, suchas a network controller or a network interface card (NIC). In oneembodiment, the network device 26 may be a wireless NIC providingwireless connectivity over any 802.11 standard or any other suitablewireless networking standard. The network device 26 may allow theelectronic device 10 to communicate over a network, such as a Local AreaNetwork (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or the Internet. Further, theelectronic device 10 may connect to and send or receive data with anydevice on the network, such as portable electronic devices, personalcomputers, printers, and so forth. Alternatively, in some embodiments,the electronic device 10 may not include a network device 26. In such anembodiment, a NIC may be added as an expansion card to provide similarnetworking capability as described above.

Further, the components may also include a power source 28. In oneembodiment, the power source 28 may be one or more batteries, such as alithium-ion polymer battery. The battery may be user-removable or may besecured within the housing of the electronic device 10, and may berechargeable. Additionally, the power source 28 may include AC power,such as provided by an electrical outlet, and the electronic device 10may be connected to the power source 28 via a power adapter. This poweradapter may also be used to recharge one or more batteries if present.

FIG. 2 illustrates an electronic device 10 in the form of a desktopcomputer 50, such as an iMac® by Apple Inc., that may be used togenerate and/or present the enhanced playlist functions describedherein. It should be noted that while the techniques will be describedbelow in reference to illustrated electronic device 50 (which may be adesktop computer), the techniques described herein are usable with anyelectronic device employing a display. For example, other electronicdevices may include a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a viewablemedia player, a mobile phone, a personal data organizer, a workstation,a standalone display, or the like. In certain embodiments, theelectronic device may include a model of an iMac®, Mac® mini, Mac Pro®,MacBook®, a MacBook® Pro, MacBook Air®, Apple Cinema Display®, AppleThunderbolt Display®, iPad®, iPod® or iPhone® available from Apple Inc.of Cupertino, California. In other embodiments, the electronic devicemay include other models and/or types of electronic devices, availablefrom any manufacturer.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the desktop computer 50 includes a housing 52that supports and protects interior components, such as processors,circuitry, and controllers, among others, that may be used to generateimages to display on display 12. The desktop computer 50 also includesuser input structures 18, shown here as a keyboard and a mouse, that maybe manipulated by a user to interact with desktop computer 50. Forexample, the user input structures 18 may be employed to operate agraphical user interface (GUI) 54 of an operating system running on thedesktop computer 50 as well as a GUI 56 of applications running ondesktop computer 50. Input structures 18 may be connected to theelectronic device 10 through a wired or wireless configuration. Further,in certain embodiments, electronic device 10 may include other types ofuser input structures, such as a touchscreen or trackpad, among others.

The GUI 54 may include various layers, windows, screens, templates, orother graphical elements that may be displayed in all, or a portion, ofthe display 12. Generally, the GUI 54 may include graphical elements 58that represent applications and functions of the electronic device. Thegraphical elements 58 may include icons and other images representingbuttons, sliders, menu bars, and the like. The icons may correspond tovarious applications of the electronic device that may open uponselection of a respective icon. Furthermore, selection of an icon maylead to a hierarchical navigation process, such that selection of anicon leads to a screen that includes one or more additional icons orother GUI elements 58. The icons may be selected via a touch screenincluded in the display 12, or may be selected by a user input structure18, such as a wheel or button.

When an icon is selected, the desktop computer 50 may be configured toopen an application associated with that icon and display acorresponding screen. For example, when the “iTunes” icon 60 isselected, the desktop computer 50 may be configured to open anapplication GUI 56 for the iTunes® application.

As discussed herein, the GUI 56 may include enhanced playlistfunctionality that enables easier creation, editing, and access toplaylists. The playlists are compilations of digital content (e.g.,music, movies, television shows, etc.). For example, the processor 20 ofthe desktop computer 50 may detect actions by a user in the GUI 56 andprovide a playlist editing tool (e.g., a playlist sidebar) in the GUI 56based upon those actions. Further, the processor 20 may suggest playlistactions, such as adding content to a particular playlist, based uponpreviously detected actions. While the current disclosure will refer tothe playlist editing tool as a “playlist sidebar,” it should beunderstood that the playlist editing tool is not limited to a sidebarimplementation. For example, the playlist editing tool could be providedat the top, bottom, or other area of the GUI 56.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of GUI 56 of FIG. 2. GUI 56 may includea currently playing box 100 that provides information regarding contentthat is currently being played in the digital content playerapplication. For example, such information may include artwork 102, atitle 104, and/or artist and album information 106. Further, thecurrently playing box 100 may include playtime indicator 108 thatindicates a time position of the current playback. Additionally, the GUI56 may include playback controls 110 for the currently playing content,such as fast-forward, re-wind, skip forward, skip backward, play, pause,and/or volume controls.

A library sidebar 112 may also be displayed in the GUI 56. The librarysidebar 112 may display playlists 114 that are available in the digitalcontent player. As discussed above, playlists are compilations ofcontent available in the digital content player. These playlists 114 maybe generated automatically for a user or may be manually created by theuser of the digital content player. For example, the playlists 114 mayinclude playlists 116 generated based upon content obtained by the user(e.g., Genius ® playlists by Apple, Inc.). Further the playlists mayinclude smart playlists 118, which may be automatically generated basedupon attributes of content/activities associated with the content thatare known by the digital content player. For example, smart playlist 118might include content of a particular genre, decade, most often played,recently added, recently played, etc. The playlists 114 may also includemanually configured playlists 120 that are defined by the user of thedigital content player.

Additionally, the library sidebar 112 may include a new icon 122 forcreating new items in library sidebar 112 and configuration or editicons 124 for editing items in the library sidebar 112. As illustratedin FIG. 3, when a user selects the new icon 122, a new menu 126 mayappear. As illustrated, the new menu 126 may include an option 128 forcreating a new playlist, an option 130 for creating a new playlist froma selection, an option 132 for creating a new smart playlist, and anoption 134 for creating a playlist folder. When selecting option 128, anempty manually configured playlist 120 may be created for manualconfiguration by the user. When selecting option 130, any selectedcontent (e.g., selections made in the content list view 136) may be usedto generate a playlist 116 automatically. Alternatively, the selectionsmay be added to a new manually configured playlist 120. When option 132is selected, a new smart playlist 118 may be generated. Further, as willbe illustrated in more detail with regards to FIG. 9, when option 134 isselected, a playlist folder may be generated. The playlist folder maystore one or more playlists defined in the digital content library.

Assuming the user selected the new icon 122 and selected the newplaylist option 128, as indicated by the mouse pointers 138, a newplaylist may be generated by the content player. In the currentembodiment, as will be seen in FIG. 4, a default name for the playlistis “Untitled 1.” In alternative embodiments, the default playlist namesmay be some alternative name such as “playlist 1,” “Joe's playlist 1,”where Joe is the user creating the playlist, etc.

Having now created a new playlist, the playlist may be accessed and/oredited via the digital content player. FIG. 4 is a schematic view of aplaylist screen 150 for the newly created manual configured playlist 120“Untitled 1.” The playlist screen 150 may be accessed by selecting aplaylist 114 in the library sidebar 112. For example, as illustrated,the selection bar 152 indicates that “Untitled 1” is currently selected.Accordingly, the playlist screen 150 may provide a view 154 associatedwith the selected playlist. When the playlist is empty (e.g., does nothave any content associated with it), a playlist instruction 156 may beprovided. Further, an icon 158 may be provided as an indicator that thecurrent playlist is a manually configured playlist 120. Further, thetitle 160, a content count 162, and playlist controls 164, such as aplay button 166 and/or shuffle button 168 may be provided.

The user may be directed off of the playlist screen 150 in one of manyways. For example, navigation buttons 190 may provide navigation awayfrom the screen 150. Further, as illustrated, one or more tabs 172 maybe provided. When a user selects a tab other than the playlists tab 174,the user may be directed to a view corresponding to that tab 172. Forexample, the user may select the radio tab 176 and be directed to aradio view.

Once the manually configured playlist 120 is created, the playlist 120may be edited. For example, FIG. 5 is an illustration of the screen 150providing an edit menu 200 associated with a playlist, in accordancewith an embodiment. When a user selects one of the edit icon 124, anedit menu 200 may be provided. The edit menu 200 may include an option202 to duplicate the currently selected playlist (e.g., the playlistindicated by selection bar 152). Further a burn option 204 and/or ashare option 206 may be provided. The burn option 204 may enable thecontent in the selected playlist to be copied to a storage deviceexternal to the digital content player (e.g., a writable DVD, auniversal serial bus hard drive, etc.). The share option 206 may enablethe playlist to be shared with others (e.g., via social networkingsites, email, etc.). An edit option 208 may enable the contentassociated with the playlist to be altered. For example, new content maybe added, existing content may be removed, and/or the order of thecontent may be modified. A rename option 210 may enable the playlistname to be changed. For example, the default name “Untitled 1” may notbe a desired name for the playlist, so the user may modify the nameusing the rename option 210. A delete option 212 enables the user todelete the currently selected playlist.

Using option 210 of the edit menu 200, assume the user renames theplaylist “Untitled 1” to “Road Tunes.” When the user selects the editoption 208, the user may be directed to a different view that enablescontent to be added to the “Road Tunes” playlist. FIG. 6 illustrates acontent view 240 that includes a listing of current content available tobe added to playlists. For instance, in the current example, an artistsview 242 is provided based upon the selection of an artists tab 244. Theartists view 242 may display the user's digital content based uponartist association. For example, a library sidebar 246 may provide alist of artists that the user has in their content library. When theuser selects a particular artist (e.g., “Bruce Springsteen,” asindicated by the selection bar 152) the content stored by the digitalcontent player corresponding to that artist is displayed. For example,associated albums 248 and content 250 may be provided. In someembodiments, content that is not already acquired by the user may beprovided. For example, an acquisition icon 252 may be provided next tocontent that has not already been acquired by the user.

Even though the current example of the content view 240 illustrates anartists view 242, many other implementations are possible. For example,a genres tab 254 could present the content based upon genres associatedwith content, an albums tab 256 could present the content based uponalbum titles associated with the content, a songs tab 258 could presentthe content based upon song title, etc. Because the user reached thecontent view 240 via a playlist edit option (e.g., option 208 of FIG.5), the content view 240 may present a playlist sidebar 260 that mayenable editing of a playlist.

As discussed above, in this example, the user renamed the “Untitled 1”playlist to “Road Tunes” and then selected an option to edit the “RoadTunes” playlist. Accordingly, the provided playlist sidebar 260 isassociated with the “Road Tunes” playlist. As will be discussed in moredetail below, there are additional ways a user might reach a playlistedit option (e.g., a tool bar menu option or a quick menu option).Accordingly, the playlist sidebar 260 may be provided in any one of anumber of ways.

The playlist sidebar 260 may include a title 262 indicating the name ofthe playlist that is currently editable. Further, a count 264 of thecontent (e.g., number of pieces of content, total time of the content,etc.) may be provided. A content container area 266 may be provided,which displays the current content associated with the playlist.Additionally, an edit completion button 268 (e.g., a “Done” button) maybe provided to close editing of the playlist and hide the playlistsidebar 260.

In the current example, the user has not yet added any content to the“Road Tunes” playlist. Accordingly, the count 264 is “0 items” and thecontent container area 266 does not indicate any content associated withthe playlist. In some embodiments, when the content container area 266is empty, background text and/or a background image 270 may provideinstructions on adding content to the playlist.

To add content to the playlist, the user may drag content from theartists view 242 (or other view displayed based upon the currentlyselected tab 172) into the content container area 266 of the playlistsidebar 260. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the user has placed an assortmentof content 300 in the content container area 266, thus associating thecontent with the “Road Tunes” playlist. As the assortment of content 300is associated with the playlist, the count 264 may update. For example,as illustrated, the number of items has increased to 17 and the timecounter has increased to 1 hour and 54 minutes. Further, for aestheticflair, faded images 302 associated with the assortment of content 300(e.g., album artwork) may be displayed in a playlist sidebar 260. Forexample, in certain embodiments, the faded images 302 may taper in fade(e.g., more faded images on the left side of the playlist sidebar 260and less faded images on the right side of the playlist sidebar 260).While the current embodiment illustrates the faded images 302 occupyinga top bar 304 in the playlist sidebar 260, the faded images may occupyother areas of the playlist sidebar 260. For example, in alternativeembodiments, the faded images 302 may occupy an entire background of theplaylist sidebar 260

Because of the large amount of digital content available and thedifferent compilations of content that may be desired, the number ofplaylists may be quite large. Accordingly, it may be desirable toorganize playlists. FIG. 8 is a view illustrating an example of theplaylist screen 150 of FIG. 4 where content has been associated with theplaylist and a playlist folder 330 has been added for organization.

Because the playlist screen 150 now has associated content, the fadedimages 302 discussed in FIG. 7 are now available in the playlist screen150. In the current embodiment, the faded images 302 occupy a top bar326 of the playlist screen 150, but in alternative embodiments thesefaded images 302 could occupy any portion of a screen of the digitalcontent player that is associated with a compilation of content. Aspreviously discussed, the playlist screen includes an option to add anew playlist folder (e.g., option 134 of FIG. 3). Accordingly, when theuser selects this option, a new folder may be added to the librarysidebar 112. The newly created folder may be generated with a defaulttitle such as “Untitled 1.” In some embodiments, the content player mayautomatically provide a prompt to change the default folder name. In thecurrent example, the user has added a “For the Road” folder 330 tobundle all playlists associated with road trips. The user may thenassociate playlists with the folder 330 by dragging the playlist overthe folder 330 in the library sidebar 112. For example, the user hasdragged the “Colorado Trip” playlist 332 into the “For the Road”playlist folder 330.

Having now discussed generating and editing playlists through edit menusand the playlist sidebar 260, the discussion turns to an “Add to”sidebar that may provide access to the playlist sidebar 260. FIG. 9 is aview 370 illustrating an “Add to” sidebar 372, in accordance with anembodiment. Initially, the “Add to” sidebar 372 may be hidden from auser. When a user drags content in the view 370, it may typically be anindication that the user desires to place the content in a new location.Accordingly, the “Add to” sidebar may be displayed upon detecting that auser is dragging content in the digital content player. For example, asindicated by the pointer 374 holding the content icon 376, the user iscurrently dragging content or a compilation of content (e.g., dragging acompilation of album content by dragging an album name 378, dragging acompilation of artist content by dragging an artist name 380, ordragging a piece of content by dragging a song title 382). Accordingly,any reference to dragging content or a compilation of content describedherein may relate to dragging the content icon 376 associated with thecontent or compilation.

As the user drags the content or compilation of content, the digitalcontent player may detect the content or compilation of contentassociated with the dragging. The digital content player may thendetermine the objects where the dragged content or compilation may beplaced. Based upon this determination, the digital content player mayreveal the “Add to” sidebar 372. For example, the “Add to” sidebar mayslide out from the right of the view 370, as indicated by the arrow 384.

As discussed above, many electronic devices may be associated with thedigital content player. For example, an iPhone®, iPad®, or iPod® byApple, Inc. may be associated with the digital content player, such thatcontent accessible by the digital content player may be added to theassociated electronic devices. In the current example, an iPhone® named“John's iPhone” 386, an iPod® named “Allie's iPod” 388, and an iPodNano® named “Jogging Nano” 390 are associated with the digital contentplayer. Each of these devices associated with digital content player areenabled to store digital content and thus may be determined to beobjects where the dragged content or compilation may be placed. Further,manually customized playlists 120 may be objects where the draggedcontent or compilations may be placed. Accordingly, the digital contentplayer may provide each of the devices and the manually customizedplaylists 120 in the “Add to” sidebar 372. The automatically generatedplaylists, devices without sufficient storage, and/or any read onlydevices associated with the digital content player may not be able toreceive the dragged content. Accordingly, these objects are not providedin the “Add to” toolbar (e.g., sidebar 372).

If the user releases the dragged content or compilation in an area thatis not over one of the provided objects, the content player maydetermine that the user does not wish to store the content orcompilation in an alternate location. Thus, the content player may hidethe “Add to” sidebar 372. However, when the user drags the content icon376 over an object in the “Add to” sidebar, the content player maydetermine that the user desires to associate the content or compilationwith the object. For example, FIG. 10 illustrates content added to apreviously created playlist via the “Add to” sidebar 372 of FIG. 9. Asindicated by the pointer 374, the user has dragged the content icon 376over a “Road Tunes” playlist option 400. Accordingly, the digitalcontent player may determine that the user desires to associate thedragged content or compilation with the “Road Tunes” playlist. If theuser releases the content icon 376 over the provided option relating tothe object (e.g., the “Road Tunes” playlist option 400), the digitalcontent player may place the content or compilation in a defaultlocation within the object (e.g., the “Road Tunes” playlist). Forexample, the digital content player may place the content or compilationat the beginning of the playlist before any other content that is storedin the playlist or at the end of the playlist after all other contentthat is stored in the playlist.

If the user hovers over the option associated with the object (e.g., the“Road Tunes” playlist option 400) additional options may be presented tothe user. FIG. 11 is a view of the playlist sidebar of FIG. 6, providedto the user based upon the user's interactions with the “Add to” sidebar372 of FIG. 10. For example, assuming the user did not release thecontent icon 376 over the option 400 of FIG. 10, the playlist sidebar260 of FIG. 11 associated with the “Road Tunes” playlist option 400 ofFIG. 10 is revealed to the user (e.g., by sliding out from the right ofthe view, as indicated by arrow 402 of FIG. 11). As may be appreciated,by presenting the playlist sidebar 260 of FIG. 11, the user may dictatethe positioning of the content or compilation. In FIG. 11, for example,as the user drags the content icon 376 in the playlist sidebar 260, apositioning bar 404 may be provided that represents where the content orcompilation will be placed if the user releases the content icon 376. Inthe current example of FIG. 11, the user is positioning the content orcompilation between “Boy With a Coin” and “Hangin′ Round.”

The hovering actions on the “Add to” sidebar 372 of FIG. 10 are not onlyuseful for positioning content within a playlist. If the user hadhovered the content icon 376 over any of the devices 386, 388, or 390,the user would have been provided with storage locations for thecorresponding device. For example, if the user hovered over the option386 for John's iPhone, the user would have been presented with foldersand/or playlists associated with John's iPhone where the content couldbe stored. The user would then be free to place the content in thefolder (e.g., a music folder on an iPhone®) or could hover over theplaylist to receive a playlist sidebar 260 of FIG. 11 associated withthe playlist on John's iPhone, such that the content order could beconfigured by the user.

In some embodiments, if the user decides to change the order of contentin a playlist, a sorting menu may be provided. FIG. 12 illustrates aview 420 where a sort menu 422 for the playlist sidebar 260 is presentedto the user upon selecting a “Sort by” option 424. Occasionally, a usermay desire to change the order of content within a playlist. This may befacilitated in several ways. First, as previously discussed with regardsto FIG. 11, content within the playlist sidebar 260 can be dragged todifferent locations within the playlist sidebar 260. When the userdesires this type of ordering, the user may select a “Manual Order”option 426 from the sort menu 422. If the user desires an automatic sortof the content within the playlist, the user may select automaticsorting options from the sort menu 422. For example, the user may selecta name sort option 428 that instructs the content player to sort theplaylist alphabetically by title of the content. A time sort option 430may sort the content based on time (e.g., shortest first or shortestlast sorting). Further an artist sort option 432 may sort all of thecontent in the playlist alphabetically passed on the artist name. Analbum sort option 434 may sort the content alphabetically based uponalbum title. A rating sort option 436 sorts based upon an ratingsprovided by the user or others regarding the content and a genre sortoption 438 sorts the content alphabetically based on genre.

As previously discussed, the digital content player may predict playlistactions based upon previous playlist activities that have occurred. Forexample, FIG. 13 is a view 460 of a quick menu 462 providing predictedplaylist actions 464, in accordance with an embodiment. FIG. 14 is aview 500 illustrating a toolbar menu 502 with predicted playlist actions504, in accordance with an embodiment.

The digital content player may remember activities related to playlistgeneration or editing. For example, a user who has recently createdand/or edited a playlist may be more likely to continue to want to editthe playlist. Accordingly, the content player may provide predictedplaylist options based upon a history of activities associated with theplaylists. Accordingly, the content player may remember activity history(e.g., the most recently created and/or edited playlists). Further, thecontent player may determine a time period that has elapsed sincecreating and/or editing the playlists based upon the activity history.This information may be used to present playlist options to a user. Inone embodiment, the most recently added and/or the most recently editedplaylist will be determined to be the most likely candidate foradditional editing. Accordingly, an edit option for that specificplaylist may be offered as an option, reducing the number of“click-throughs” needed to edit the playlist. In some embodiments, theelapsed time between creation and/or edits of the playlist may determinewhether an option is presented to the user. For example, in someembodiments, if the elapsed time is within a specific threshold, anoption may be presented to the user. Otherwise, a predicted option isnot presented to the user.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, the quick menu 462 is presented to the user.In some embodiments, this quick menu 462 may be provided upon analternate input selection (e.g., a right mouse click, a two-finger clickof a touchpad, or an option key+mouse click). The content player maydetermine whether any predicted playlist options should be presented tothe user (e.g., whether a playlist has been created and/or edited withina certain threshold or if there is a most recently added and/or editedplaylist available). If the content player determines that such apredicted playlist option exists, the option is added to the quick menu462. For example, in the current example, because the user has recentlymodified the “Road Tunes” playlist, the option 464 is provided in thequick menu 462 to add the selected song to the “Road Tunes” playlist.This additional option 464 reduces the number of clicks needed to addcontent to the “Road Tunes” playlist. Because content is currentlyselected and the content is not already in the “Road Tunes” playlist,the predicted option is to add the selected content to the playlist. Ifthe content were already in the “Road Tunes” playlist, the “add” optionwould not be presented. Instead, in some embodiments, a remove optionmay be presented.

If no content is selected when the predicted option is requested, apredicted option might be more broad. For example, the predicted optionmay be to edit the “Road Tunes” playlist, rather than add or remove aparticular piece of content. For example, in the embodiment illustratedin FIG. 14, predicted options may be added to a toolbar menu. Thetoolbar menu might not be associated with a particular piece of content.Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 14, an edit “Road Tunes” Playlistoption 504 is presented to the user. When selected, this option willreveal the playlist sidebar 260 in a similar manner as discussedregarding FIG. 6.

As may be appreciated, by implementing the techniques described herein,graphical user-interfaces used in electronic devices may be greatlyenhanced. For example, playlists may be accessed, edited, and created ina more convenient manner. Through providing the playlist side bar,enhanced playlist cues, and suggestions of playlist actions, the layoutmay be more appealing to the user, thus, creating an enhanced userexperience.

The specific embodiments described above have been shown by way ofexample, and it should be understood that these embodiments may besusceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. It should befurther understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to theparticular forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications,equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope ofthis disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: at an electronic devicewith a display: displaying, on the display, a first user interface of anapplication, the first user interface including a plurality of contentitems; detecting an input dragging a first content item, in theplurality of content items, across the first user interface; and, inresponse to detecting the input dragging the first content item acrossthe first user interface, displaying a sidebar that contains objects inwhich the first content item is configured to be placed.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein the application manages media content items and thecontent items include media content items.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the objects in which the first content item is configured to beplaced include objects that correspond to other electronic devices. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein the objects in which the first contentitem is configured to be placed include objects that correspond toplaylists.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sidebar is displayedover the first user interface.
 6. The method of claim 1, including: inresponse to detecting the input dragging the first content item acrossthe first user interface, determining objects in which the first contentitem is configured to be placed and displaying the sidebar based on thisdetermination.
 7. The method of claim 1, including: detecting an inputthat releases the first content item while the first content item is notover any objects in the sidebar; and, in response to detecting the inputthat releases the first content item while the first content item is notover any objects in the sidebar, hiding the sidebar.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, including: detecting an input that releases the first contentitem while the first content item is over a first object in the sidebar;and, in response to detecting the input that releases the first contentitem while the first content item is over a first object in the sidebar,placing the first content item within the first object.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the first content item is placed at a default locationwithin the first object.
 10. The method of claim 1, including: detectingan input that releases the first content item; and, in response todetecting the input that releases the first content item: in accordancewith a determination that, when released, the first content item is notover any objects in the sidebar, hiding the sidebar; and in accordancewith a determination that, when released, the first content item is overa first object in the sidebar, placing the first content item within thefirst object.
 11. The method of claim 1, including: detecting an inputthat hovers the first content item over a first object in the sidebar;and, in response to detecting the input that hovers the first contentitem over the first object in the sidebar, displaying in the sidebar auser interface for positioning and/or storing the first content itemwithin the first object.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein display, inthe sidebar, of the user interface for positioning and/or storing thefirst content item within the first object replaces display, in thesidebar, of the objects in which the first content item is configured tobe placed.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein: the sidebar is displayedin a first region of the display in response to detecting the inputdragging the first content item across the first user interface, anddragging the first content item occurs in a portion of the first userinterface that is displayed outside of the first region of the display.14. An electronic device, comprising: a display; one or more processors;memory; and one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs arestored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or moreprocessors, the one or more programs including instructions to: display,on the display, a first user interface of an application, the first userinterface including a plurality of content items; detect an inputdragging a first content item, in the plurality of content items, acrossthe first user interface; and, in response to detecting the inputdragging the first content item across the first user interface, displaya sidebar that contains objects in which the first content item isconfigured to be placed.
 15. A non-transitory computer readable storagemedium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprisinginstructions, which when executed by an electronic device with adisplay, cause the electronic device to: display, on the display, afirst user interface of an application, the first user interfaceincluding a plurality of content items; detect an input dragging a firstcontent item, in the plurality of content items, across the first userinterface; and, in response to detecting the input dragging the firstcontent item across the first user interface, display a sidebar thatcontains objects in which the first content item is configured to beplaced.
 16. The device of claim 14, wherein the application managesmedia content items and the content items include media content items.17. The device of claim 14, wherein the objects in which the firstcontent item is configured to be placed include objects that correspondto other electronic devices.
 18. The device of claim 14, wherein theobjects in which the first content item is configured to be placedinclude objects that correspond to playlists.
 19. The device of claim14, wherein the sidebar is displayed over the first user interface. 20.The device of claim 14, including instructions for: in response todetecting the input dragging the first content item across the firstuser interface, determining objects in which the first content item isconfigured to be placed and displaying the sidebar based on thisdetermination.
 21. The device of claim 14, including instructions for:detecting an input that releases the first content item while the firstcontent item is not over any objects in the sidebar; and, in response todetecting the input that releases the first content item while the firstcontent item is not over any objects in the sidebar, hiding the sidebar.22. The device of claim 14, including instructions for: detecting aninput that releases the first content item while the first content itemis over a first object in the sidebar; and, in response to detecting theinput that releases the first content item while the first content itemis over a first object in the sidebar, placing the first content itemwithin the first object.
 23. The device of claim 22, wherein the firstcontent item is placed at a default location within the first object.24. The device of claim 14, including instructions for: detecting aninput that releases the first content item; and, in response todetecting the input that releases the first content item: in accordancewith a determination that, when released, the first content item is notover any objects in the sidebar, hiding the sidebar; and in accordancewith a determination that, when released, the first content item is overa first object in the sidebar, placing the first content item within thefirst object.
 25. The device of claim 14, including instructions for:detecting an input that hovers the first content item over a firstobject in the sidebar; and, in response to detecting the input thathovers the first content item over the first object in the sidebar,displaying in the sidebar a user interface for positioning and/orstoring the first content item within the first object.
 26. The deviceof claim 25, wherein display, in the sidebar, of the user interface forpositioning and/or storing the first content item within the firstobject replaces display, in the sidebar, of the objects in which thefirst content item is configured to be placed.
 27. The device of claim14, wherein: the sidebar is displayed in a first region of the displayin response to detecting the input dragging the first content itemacross the first user interface, and dragging the first content itemoccurs in a portion of the first user interface that is displayedoutside of the first region of the display.
 28. The storage medium ofclaim 15, wherein the application manages media content items and thecontent items include media content items.
 29. The storage medium ofclaim 15, wherein the objects in which the first content item isconfigured to be placed include objects that correspond to otherelectronic devices.
 30. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein theobjects in which the first content item is configured to be placedinclude objects that correspond to playlists.
 31. The storage medium ofclaim 15, wherein the sidebar is displayed over the first userinterface.
 32. The storage medium of claim 15, including instructions,which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronicdevice to: in response to detecting the input dragging the first contentitem across the first user interface, determine objects in which thefirst content item is configured to be placed and display the sidebarbased on this determination.
 33. The storage medium of claim 15,including instructions, which when executed by the electronic device,cause the electronic device to: detect an input that releases the firstcontent item while the first content item is not over any objects in thesidebar; and, in response to detecting the input that releases the firstcontent item while the first content item is not over any objects in thesidebar, hide the sidebar.
 34. The storage medium of claim 15, includinginstructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause theelectronic device to: detect an input that releases the first contentitem while the first content item is over a first object in the sidebar;and, in response to detecting the input that releases the first contentitem while the first content item is over a first object in the sidebar,place the first content item within the first object.
 35. The storagemedium of claim 33, wherein the first content item is placed at adefault location within the first object.
 36. The storage medium ofclaim 15, including instructions, which when executed by the electronicdevice, cause the electronic device to: detect an input that releasesthe first content item; and, in response to detecting the input thatreleases the first content item: in accordance with a determinationthat, when released, the first content item is not over any objects inthe sidebar, hide the sidebar; and in accordance with a determinationthat, when released, the first content item is over a first object inthe sidebar, place the first content item within the first object. 37.The storage medium of claim 15, including instructions, which whenexecuted by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:detect an input that hovers the first content item over a first objectin the sidebar; and, in response to detecting the input that hovers thefirst content item over the first object in the sidebar, display in thesidebar a user interface for positioning and/or storing the firstcontent item within the first object.
 38. The storage medium of claim36, wherein display, in the sidebar, of the user interface forpositioning and/or storing the first content item within the firstobject replaces display, in the sidebar, of the objects in which thefirst content item is configured to be placed.
 39. The storage medium ofclaim 15, wherein: the sidebar is displayed in a first region of thedisplay in response to detecting the input dragging the first contentitem across the first user interface, and dragging the first contentitem occurs in a portion of the first user interface that is displayedoutside of the first region of the display.